Non-refillable-bottle stopper.



J. L. SBLLAR.

NON-REFILLABLE BOTTLE STOPPER. APPLIUATION ITIIQED FEB. 14, 1911. 1,015,59 1

Patented Jan. 23, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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J. LI SELLAR.

NON-REFILLABLE BOTTLE STOPPER.

APPLIUATION FILED F3314, .1911.

1,015,591; Patented Jan.23, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHBET 2.

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UNTTED STATES JOHN L. SELLAR, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

NON-REFILLABLE-BOTTLE STOPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23,1912.

Application filed February 14, 1911. Serial No. 608,565.

'l'o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN L. SELLAR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Non-Refillable-Bottle Stoppers, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to bottle stoppers of that type which when appliedto the bottle prevents the refilling of the same and renders the bottleuseless after it has been emptied of its original contents.

An object of the invention is to provide a tablet that will disintegratein alcoholic liquor but not dissolve therein, and which is not afi'ectedby atmospheric conditions or the mere fumes of this liquor and to alsoprovide improved means for using such a tablet in a bottle stopper.

WVith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists ofcertain novel features of construction and combinations of parts whichsecure a new mode of opera-' tion, as are hereinafter described andparticularly pointed out in the appended'claims.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a bottle-neckand stopper showing the device with its parts sealed and in conditionadapted for transportation. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view showingthe cap raised, the device unsealed and free for emptying the contentsof the bottle. Fig. 3 is a similar View showing the cap elevated and theparts in position they take when an attempt has been made to refill' andthe cartridge parts positioned so as to lock the valve closed. Fig. 4 isa detail perspective view of the capsecuring spider. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the cartridge removed from the casing. Fig. 6 is adetail perspective view of the valve. Fig. '7 is a transverse section onthe line 77 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a transverse section on the line 8-8 ofFig. 1. Fig. 9 is a transverse section on the line 99 of Fig. 1. Fig. 10is a vertical sectional viewof the bottle-neck and a side view of thecap and its stud the cap and stud being in the closed position. Fig. 11is two edge views of the valve,-each view showing the different ap--pearance the valve has when turned one quarter revolution. Fig. 12 is avertical section on the top part of the inner stoppercasing.

Referring to the drawings, 1, represents a bottle neck having a straightinterior throat; 2, represents the stopper-casing, which in practice ismade of glass or other suitable material. The lower end of the casing,2,. is provided with an inwardlyextending flange forming a centralaperture or valve-port, 4, and having on its upper surface a valve-seat,5, upon which an annular cork face, 6, rests. The valve, 7, is held inproper relation centrally within the casing by radial lugs, 8, whoseends loosely contact with the sides of the casing and permit easy'movement of the valve when released for pouring. As shown in Figs. 2and 11 the valve is a thin disk, and is slightly bent diametrically sothat its upper surface is convex and its lower surface is concave; thisparticular construction insures that the valve will unseat and not stickfast when pressure is removed from its top. The casing, 2, is providedwith an exterior annular recess adjacent its bottom which has securedtherein a cork packing, 10, which makes a tight fit with the inte riorthroat of the bottle-neck, and above this cork packing is arranged acement filling, 11, which secures the casing permanently within thebottle neck. The upper rim of the casing as seen plainly in Fig. 12 isprovided with an annular outward flange, 12, having a'plural number ofnotches, 18 and the radial arms, 18, of a spider, 14, fit in saidnotches, and the downward fingers, 13, on the said arms are bentundersaid flange so as to secure this spider firmly in position upon thecasing, 2. It will be noted from an inspection of the drawing that it iscap-stud, 16, are adapted to seat when the cap is in its down position.The cap and lugs are held in this down position by the spiral spring,22, which surrounds the cap-stud, 16, and is arranged between thestationary ring, 15, of the spider and the enlarged head, 23, formed onthe lower end of the cap-stud. 7 Y

In the H ring, 15, are two vertical recesses, 19, in which lugs, 20,formed integrally on the with radial legs, 26, and, 27, which areadapted to-hold the device in proper loose position within the stoppercasing, 2. Near the upper legs, 26, the casing has one .or moreapertures, 28, through which liquid will pass to the inside of thecartridge case when any attempt is made to refill the bottle. Theinterior of the cartridge case is circular, and its top has a pendantpin or plug, 35.

A tablet, 32, is within the cartridge case, and is supported by a ring,29, which is frictionally held within the cartridge case. A spiralspring, 34, is in this case and presses down on the tablet, 32. Thecartridge case also contains a block, 36, of metal or other suitablematerial, which fits snugly but loosely; this block is approximatelyround but has an irregular shape as shown by the point, 37, in Fig. 9and the block willenter the cartridge case only into lower end of. thecartridge case.

when this point is coincident with a corre sponding notch in the case. Athin metal disk, 38, is in this case below the block, 36, and some wax,39, below the disk closes the lower end of the cartridge case.

In assemblin the parts composing the cartridge the splral spring, 34, isfirst placed within the case, being entered at the open bottom with oneend of the spring around the pin or plug, 35; the tablet, 32, is thenentered into the case and is pressed against the lower end of the spiralspring causing the latter to be compressed; the ring, 29, is next placedin and this ring supports the tablet. As already mentioned this ring isheld in position by tight fit, or frictional contact with the inner wallof the case. The block, 36, is next placed within the case in contactwith the ringin this instance the irregularity of shape of the blockfrom a true cylinder consists of a point, 37, which must coincide with acorresponding notch or groove in the wall of the case in order to permitthe block to enter the case, The thin disk, 38, may then be enteredbelow the block, and finally the wax, 39, is pressed The wax serves toseal the bottom entrance to the cartridge case and prevents any liquid.

dissolution of the tablet has taken place. The thin disk, 38, keeps thewax from the block.

The tablet, 32, which I use in the cartridge, 25, is composed ofmaterial whose parts will readily disintegrate but not dissolve in theliquid forming the contents of the bottle, and asv this device isprimarily constructed for the purpose of protecting manufacturers ofdistilled and other liquors,

the tablets are readily softened and disin-' tegrated in whisky or likeliquids. The diificulty experienced heretofore in the use of tablets hasbeen due to the fact that they were purely mutable and therefore subjectto the action of atmospheric and other humid conditions, whether causedby the outside atmosphere or the fumes from the liquors. Thetablethowever,whichIam using herein is what may conveniently be termed anormally immutable tablet. By the use of these words normally immutable,I do not wish to be understood that the tablet is unchangeable but thatit is unchangeable by atmospheric or local conditions within thebottleneck, and only disintegrated but not dissolvable in the liquorwith which an attempt is being made to fraudulently refill the bottle,whether that be alcoholic or otherwise. I shall use the. term normallyimmutable in some of the claims appended hereto with the definition heregiven.

The operation of this device is as follows,When the bottle is originallyfilled with liquid the neck of the bottle is open or free of theimproved device. After the bottle has been filled the complete device,with all the parts properly assembled, and

with cement in plastic condition around the casing, 2, is inserted intothe bottle-neck, 1, and the cement is allowed to harden; in this way thebottle-stopper is secured in its position within the bottle-neck. Whentransporting the filled bottles, the cap, 17, should be down in theposition seen in Fig.1; the pressure of the spring, 22, holds the partsin this down or closed position. When it is desired to discharge some ofthe liquid from the bottle for use, the cap, 17, should be raised tofree the lugs, 20, from the recesses, 19, in the spider ring, and then aslight turn given to the cap will cause the saidlugs to reston the saidring and thereby the cap will be retained in' the raised position asshown in Fig. 2. By this movement the pressure of the spring, 22, willbe removed and the cartridge case, 25, will be free and the valve, 7,will also be free-to.

and all of; its parts will slide forward'until the top of the cartridgeabuts against the head, 23, on the lower end of the cap-stud, as in Fig.3, and give ample room for the valve, 7, to open and the liquid todischarge.

After a bottle has been emptied of its original contents theconstruction of this improved stopper is such as to prevent therefilling of the same, and the operation by which this desirable resultis secured will now be explained.

Numerous experiments and tests have been made with this device and otherprior devices, for the purpose of refilling a bottle, and the experiencethus obtained has demonstrated that the degree of likelihood ofsuccessfully refilling, or partly refilling, a bottle, is greatest ifthe empty bottle with the non-refillable stopper in it, be completelysubmerged in a vessel containing the liquid that is desired to be filledinto the bottle. For this reason the operation of a device made inaccordance with this invention, will be described when an attempt torefill is made by the submerging method just mentioned.

An empty bottle having its cap, 17, raised, and the bottle tilted so asto cause the cartridge, 25, to slide forward and remove all pressurefrom the valve, 7 which, being so relieved, will unseat and partly openthe port, 4; under these conditions which are favorable to filling thebottle, the latter in a horizontal position is completely submerged inthe liquid contained in a vessel. The liquid enters the bottle neckthrough the spaces between the radial arms, 18, of the spider and fillsthe chamber within the casing, 2, and the liquid also enters through theapertures, 28, into the cartridge case, 25.

Experiment shows that with the bottle horizontal the valve, 7, beingunseated will usually allow a small quantity of liquid to enter thebottle, but as the valve is very light and is free to move, it willautomatically seat and close the port, 4; then being closed the slightpressure of the liquid into which the bottle is submerged, will keep thevalve seated, and no more liquid will enter the bottle. The liquid thatentered through the apertures, 28, has access to the tablet, 32, and atonce begins to soften the tablet; in a very short period of time thisliquid has so affected the tablet, that the pressure of the spring, 34,will push the block, 36, and cause the wax seal, 39, to break and theblock to escape entirely from the cartridge chamber; the moment theblock, 36, leaves the cartridge (the bottle still resting horizontally)the function of the spring, 34, ceases and the weight of said block willcause it to slide or drop in the space between the bottom of thecartridge case, 25, and the valve, 7, as in Fig. 3. Thus the block, 36,takes position between the cartridge case and the valve, 7,

from getting back into the chamber by its irregular shape, such as thepoint, 37.

It will be seen'from this description that the block, 36, and its modeof operation serve very important purposes, and this is one of thefeatures that are believed to be new.

The tablet, 32, is made of clay that has been refined to removeextraneous substances, and said clay is compressed into the form of atablet.

What I claim and desire to secure by'Letters Patent is,

1. In a non-refillable bottle stopper, the combination of a valve-seat;a valve; a cap having a downward-projecting stud and capable of verticalmovement; a spring to depress the cap and stud; an independentlymovablecase, 25, between the valve and said stud and which bridges the spacebetween said valve and stud when the latter is depressed; a block, 36,within said case, and means also within said case which will eject theblock downwardly when the case is in raised position and liquid entersthe case.

' 2. A bottle having in its neck a. casing provided with a valve-seat; avalve normally resting upon the seat; a cap member having adownward-projecting stud; a cartridge freelymounted in the casing andunconnected relative to said capmember and adapted to co-act with thecap member to hold the valve upon its seatsaid cartridge comprise.

ing a case having an aperture, 28; a frictional retaining device, 29,mounted in the case; a valve-engaging member, 36, within the case; anormally immutable tablet, 32, but which disintegrates in alcoholicliquor and supported by the said frictional retaining device, and anexpansible means, 34, in the case adapted to act to expel from the casethe said valve-engaging member upon disintegration of the said tablet.

3. A cartridge for non-refillable bottle stoppers, comprising a casehaving an aperture, 28, to permit the inlet of liquid and provided withlegs projecting radially from the case at the top and bottom thereof,- anormally immutable tablet mounted in the case and adapted toautomatically disinte; grate but not dissolve when in contact withliquor, and a block, 36, loose in the case and to be ejected therefromwhen the said normally immutable tablet disintegrates.

4. The herein-described cartridge for nonrefillable bottle stoppers,comprising a case having anaperture, 28, for inlet of liquid; a ringfrictionally held in the case; a normally immutable tablet whichdisintegrates in alcoholic liquors and is normally supported by the saidring; an expansible member, 34, in the case; a block, 36, loose in theease below the said tablet,the said parts being arranged so that theexpansible member Will eject the block When the normally immutabletablet disintegrates.

5. In a bottle-stopper the combination With a valve seat; a valveresting thereon; a capmember at the top of the bottle mouth; resilientmeans normally acting to hold said cap-member in depressed position; afreely mounted cartridge case Which bridges the space between the saidvalve and cap-member When the latter is depressed and at such timeserving to hold the valve on its seat; and a block Within the bottom ofthe cartridg e case and to be ejected therefrom and then serving to holdthe valve to its seat when the cap-member has been elevated and anattempt is made to refill the bottlej down to hold the valve to itsseat; said case having a circular interior provided with a notch andopen at its bottom; a block fitting Within said case loosely andprovided With a point that engages said notch and" Which WhGIlBjGCtGClfrom the end of the case Will take position between the open bottom ofthe case and said Valve and thereby holdct-he valve to its seat. 7

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

JOHN L. SELLAR.

Witnesses:

G. FERD. Voor,

CHAS. B. MANN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

